About Us
6th Ramsgate Royal Harbour Sea Scout Group
Our Group is one of four Sea Scout Groups in Thanet and we are very proud of the fact that we are Admiralty Recognised – one of only 105 Sea Scout Groups in the country to achieve this recognition. Scroll down to read more about the RN system and the benefits we enjoy as a Group.
We are a charity registered in England under registration no. 1075216 and our only income is generated from donations, membership fees and fundraising.
If you or anyone you know may be interested in joining our group as a member, volunteer, or maybe providing a donation for funding or equipment, please visit our contact page to get in touch.
Where we meet: The Ice House, Military Road, Ramsgate, Kent. CT11 9LG.
Our group comprises four sections and membership for all sections is open to both boys and girls:
Squirrels
Age 4-6
Beavers
Age 6-8
Cubs
Age 8-10½
Sea Scouts
Age 10½-14½
Life after Scouts?
Just because you’ve reached the top scout age, doesn’t mean you can’t be involved. There’s plenty for young people and adults to take part in including joining a district Explorer Group, a Young Leader to our group and we are always looking for Adult volunteers to help us in many ways. If you’ve got a skill you’d like to show off to our young people, or that you think would be a help to our group, or you’d like to become a parent representative, please get in touch.
Age 14½-18?
Join a District Explorer Group
Over 18?
Why not become a member
of our Adult Helper team?
WHY 6TH RAMSGATE ROYAL HARBOUR SEA SCOUTS?
What makes us different to land scouts?
As well as the usual activities such as camping, climbing, archery, etc., we focus on water activities including canoeing, kayaking, powerboating and sailing.
At 6th Ramsgate Royal Harbour Sea Scout Group, we are very lucky to have a prime location within the harbour with easy access to the water.
We try to run a selection of camps on a rolling basis so that each young person experiences a different type of camp. We plan for a survival camp, an activity camp and a water camp over the course of 3 years.
Our History as an RN Sea Scout Group
Our Group was first formed in the 1930’s. One of the Ramsgate Sea Scouts served on the little ship “Sundowner” during the evacuation of Dunkirk.
The group was reformed as 6th Ramsgate in the 1950’s and has been recognised by the Royal Navy (RN) since the 1960’s.
During World War II, Scouts played a significant part in aiding British home forces in the defence on Britain. This can especially be said for sea scouts who acted as look-outs up and down the country’s coast looking for German ship movements. They acted as messengers between military personnel and even took up maritime positions that were previously held by men now fighting in the front line.
At the end of the war the Royal Navy wanted to recognise the support that Sea Scouting had given and indeed those scouts who had lost their lives in that support. So was born the Royal Navy Recognized Sea Scouts scheme. 101 of the top Sea Scout groups were each given a recognition number which affiliated them with the RN. This number has now increased to 105.
Position 101 was agreed to always be given to Gibraltar Sea Scouts as their war effort vastly exceeded any other.
The other 100 positions would have to be earned, as set of standards and criteria were laid down and every 18 months a dedicated Lt Commander from the Royal Navy would visit to perform a formal inspection of each RN Sea Scout Group to make sure it upholds these standards.
The RN Sea Scout Scheme (Royal Navy)
We are one of 105 Sea Scout groups now recognised by the Royal Navy out of 600 or so Sea Scout Groups in the country, our RN No. is 67.
In the late 1990’s a small group of experienced Sea Scout leaders from across the country came up with an idea, if we could book training vessels as individual groups then why don’t we book them as a whole. So was born the HMS Bristol Summer Camp.
HMS Bristol was the flag ship of the Falklands War, and was berthed at Whale Island in Portsmouth where she was an accommodation vessel of the RN sailing centre. For one week during the May/June half term approximately 250-300 sea scouts, explorer helpers and leaders from all over the country moved in to HMS Bristol, before she retired.
They used the sailing centre to organise kayaking, sailing power boating, day trips and many other activities. Everything was organised and run by the leaders who attended. During the week the scouts lived as naval personnel in mess decks, marching to breakfast and following the watch timetables. It was a fantastic experience.
As a RN accredited Sea Scout Group, we enjoy the following benefits:
Flying the Flag
Flying the defaced red ensign at Scout meetings (we fly both this and the Union Jack flag to simulate each end of a ship).
RN Pendant
We have the Royal Naval pendant flying in our Headquarters.
RN Recognition Badge
All members of our Scout Group are issue with the RN recognition badge to wear proudly on their scout uniform.
RN Match funding
We have access to apply for RN match funding to help purchase training and equipment.
Discounted Uniform
Access to the RN stores to purchase discounted uniforms such as our Sea Scout hats.
RN Training Vessels
We have the great benefit of access to certain RN vessels for training and summer camps.